English: the language you simply can’t live without in this day and age. There are quite a few obvious reasons to study English, which maybe depend on where you come from, where you live, what field you work in, and so on. In Milan, there is an intense need for English both in terms of tourism, as Milan has been growing at an exponential rate on the maps of international tourists, as well as the fact that Milan is a city known for its industry and business, and therefore attracts companies from all over the world to invest in its expertise.
At Scrambled Eggs English School, we’ve seen a fair share of interesting reasons to study English that go well beyond your typical business or tourist reasons. Today we’re going to discuss the 5 most interesting reasons people have come to us to ask for an English course.
1. Meeting a Japanese guru in a mountain retreat
One of our students once approached us because he had been studying Buddhism and wanted to meet a monk who lived in a little monastery on top of a mountain stashed away in rural Japan. Not feeling up to the task of learning Japanese in a single summer, he enrolled in an individual English course to improve his English for a tailor-made course where he could work on language that could come in hand during his particular trip. Naturally, he didn’t only have the challenge of English in front of him – he also needed to do quite a lot of rock climbing to get to this isolated destination! Unfortunately we couldn’t help him with that, but we did our best to prepare him for his trip… post-mountain climbing.
2. A family affair
It’s hard to deny that in the last decade or two Italians have been migrating all over the world to experience different cultures and immerse themselves in a potentially different work scene. And what comes along with this? Meeting someone from another country, getting married and having kids! The only problem with starting a family abroad? How will the grandparents speak to that foreign branch of the family? English, being the lingua franca that it is, has you all covered. Studying English to communicate with your child’s better half – it doesn’t get more international than that! There’s no greater satisfaction as a teacher than knowing you are helping unite a family, one English lesson at a time.
3. I present to you: my newest mix drink
English is also the international language of… presentation! We once had a bartender of a student who was invited to Barcelona to present to the directors of Baccardi Rum a mix drink she had invented all by herself. While her English was already quite good, she did a packet of 10 individual hours with our native English teachers to add a little zest to her presentation.
4. For a better, healthier future
Studies show that learning a second language actually leads to a stronger, healthier brain when you reach an older age. This means you are less likely to develop dementia or even Alzheimer’s. Who needs medicine when you’ve got language?
5. United the world, one presentation at a time.
Italy is without a doubt a cultural innovator that has been the hotbed for millions of ground-breaking ideas that led to global change. And the only way to convince the rest of the world that your idea will change life as we know it? Convincing investors to pour money into your idea and explaining it to international congresses and conferences. We’re proud to say we’ve helped prepped hundreds of students for big make-or-break presentations that may have indeed led to changes in every one of our lives.
These are only 5 interesting reasons as to why some of our students decide to study English at our school in Milan, as well as doing online lessons with our native English teachers. What is your motivation for learning English? Maybe it’s not as peculiar as the ones above, but motivation can be a strong element that pushes you to success, no matter how strange or original it may be!